Seeking recommendations for replacement laptop batteries

silvercar

My laptop is old, I will probably replace next year.

In the mean time the battery has failed to the extent that not only does it not hold any charge, but the laptop randomly switches off if I use it with the battery in place but works when I take the battery out (mains powered obviously).

So I don't want to spend out on a Toshiba battery if there are other battery suppliers that will do the same job.

Not sure if I need to give the battery details, but current battery has PA3817U, 10.8v 5200mAh.

Thanks for any advice.

telemarks

We have three old laptops (Dell and Lenono) in the family that are all using generic third party copy batteries bought for around £10 off eBay.


One is over two years old now, and three all work fine. Granted its a risky option, but then the cost / risk is low.



With any "clone" battery caution is advised, and I did not leave any unattended or on a flammable surface for the first few charges, to check they were not getting warm.

SandraX

telemarks wrote: »

We have three old laptops (Dell and Lenono) in the family that are all using generic third party copy batteries bought for around £10 off eBay.


One is over two years old now, and three all work fine. Granted its a risky option, but then the cost / risk is low.



With any "clone" battery caution is advised, and I did not leave any unattended or on a flammable surface for the first few charges, to check they were not getting warm.

I have an HP, battery playing up, seen some cheaper batteries on ebay and many claims to be genuine, but too many horror stories so I'm keeping the original. But even this gets hot as I type with the lappy on my laps the heat is quiet hot - is that normal?

toshi

My own experiences on generic cheap battery were not good at all. Cheap generic one uses lower capacity 18650 Lithium Ion batteries. You can tell this easily if you check the weight. The generic battery is much lighter than the original one.

I actually opened up a generic battery, they was used no brand 1800mAh batteries. The original one uses Sayno 18650 2500mAh batteries for instance. (Nearly 30 % lower capacity)

The notebook battery has a battery management system, which helps to use internal batteries evenly to increase the longevity. I don't discuss here in detail, but the point is that you also need a good management circuit to keep the high capacity for long term. I have experienced suddenly the battery capacity lost 25 %, in this case, the 18650 Lithium Ion batteries may be OK but the BMS did not function as it expected.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_management_system

So I would expect you need to pay £30-40 for a genuine battery if you want to use your notebook as before. Or you just need to light use, you may want to use the cheap generic one.

Alternatively you may want to try CameronSino battery (Relatively well known 3rd party Battery manufacturer) I bought some batteries from them the quality is so so OK, but not good as generic one.

This is my own subjective measurement

Genuine Battery £30-50 3-4 years use 100% capacity
CameronSino £25-35 2-3 years use 80% capacity
Generic £10 0.5-1 year use 30-50% capacity

Please note the above capacity is more like actual use, Generic battery would use 70% smaller capacity but they are lower quality with a doggy BMS, So the actual usage would be much lower than 70%.

that

SandraX wrote: »

...But even this gets hot as I type with the lappy on my laps the heat is quiet hot - is that normal?

The battery may get very warm, often if it gets hot and stays hot it is going bad. Take the battery out and check if the laptop still gets hot?

The no 1. reason for laptops getting hot is blocked air vents, crud on the fan stopping it from spinning or slowing it down. The best method is disassembly and look on YouTube, as on some laptops this is only one screw. Heat will shorten the life of your laptop